Automotive vehicles include seat assemblies for supporting occupants within the vehicle. Recently vehicles featuring folding seat assemblies that allow the seat to collapse into a stowed position providing for a level load floor that has become a popular feature in vehicles such as minivans. However, it is typically difficult to provide appropriate space under the vehicle load floor that allows the incorporation of known folding seat assemblies into such vehicles.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art to provide a seat assembly that is capable of being mechanically folded operation a seated position and a stowed position, which significantly reduces the under vehicle or in-vehicle storage space needed to stow the seat.